Master of the World

1961
Approved
1h 42m

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

Vincent Price, Henry Hull, and Mary Webster in Master of the World (1961)

Play trailer2:29

2 Videos

61 Photos

Steampunk Adventure Sci-Fi

In 1868, an American scientist and his team become hostages of fanatical pacifist Robur who uses his airship Albatross to destroy military targets on Earth.In 1868, an American scientist and his team become hostages of fanatical pacifist Robur who uses his airship Albatross to destroy military targets on Earth.In 1868, an American scientist and his team become hostages of fanatical pacifist Robur who uses his airship Albatross to destroy military targets on Earth.

Director
- William Witney
Writers
- Richard Matheson
- Jules Verne
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

Director
- William Witney
Writers
- Richard Matheson
- Jules Verne
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Topage
(as Vitto Scotti)

Wally Campo

Turner

Don Ames

Man at Balloon Society Meeting
(uncredited)

Peter Besbas

Wilson
(uncredited)

Jimmie Booth

Man at Balloon Society Meeting
(uncredited)

Al Haskell

Man at Balloon Society Meeting
(uncredited)

Michael Jeffers

Man at Balloon Society Meeting
(uncredited)

Gordon Jones

Talkative Morgantown Townsman
(uncredited)

Ray Jones

Man at Balloon Society Meeting
(uncredited)

Steve Masino

Weaver
(uncredited)

Loretta Nicholson

Morgantown Townswoman
(uncredited)

William H. O'Brien

Prudent's Butler
(uncredited)

Director
- William Witney
Writers
- Richard Matheson
- Jules Verne
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
American-International Pictures had planned on doing a sequel to this film. Concept drawings and even concept models were reportedly made. The sequel was not produced.

Goofs
The film is set in the 1800s, though as the Albatross flies over London, Robur looks through the scope and sees Elizabethan London, including Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The shot is stock footage from Henry V (1944). Soon after, more recent London footage appears, including the 19th century Tower Bridge. The aerial view of Paris is definitely 20th century.

Quotes
Prudent: You, sir, are mad! Quite, quite mad!
Robur: How like the reasoning of your kind, Mr. Prudent. All well and sane to be the owner of factories, that products of which cause the violent deaths of millions in wartime and in peace. But to kill hundreds or even thousands with the aim of ending such deaths for all time? This is "madness."
Prudent: And do you, sir, consider the man who makes a weapon responsible for the action of the man who buys it?
Robur: Yes, I do, sir! All men are responsible to all other men.

Crazy credits
Closing credits: "I take my dream with me. But it will not be lost to humanity. It will belong to you the day the world is educated enough to profit by it and wise enough not to abuse it" From Jules Verne's MASTER OF THE WORLD

Alternate versions
The U.S. 16mm television syndication prints remove the prologue (showing man's early attempt at flight) and the exit music. This brought the running time down to what could be shown in a typical two-hour time frame with little or no editing to the main body of the film.

Connections
Edited from The Four Feathers (1939)

Soundtracks
Master of the World
Music by Les Baxter
Lyrics by Lenny Adelson (as Lenny Addelson)
Sung by Darryl Stevens

User reviews66

Review

Featured review

6/10

A Pretty Good Action Sleeper

I caught this one on cable recently, seeing it for the first time as an adult. I must admit to a slight bias toward this film: when I was growing up in the dreaded BC (before cable) days, it was standard Saturday afternoon TV fare on our local indie channels. I was surprised at how well it's held up after all this time.

Master of the World is actually based on two little-remembered Jules Verne novels. Price is his usual hammy self as the standard Verne not-quite-villain, Robur (read: Nemo in the air) who, like Nemo, seeks to end war through technology. The young Bronson, as a sympathizer who then rebels against Robur's violent methods, is far less wooden than in his later years. But the real star of this movie is its production design. The rendering of what an aircraft might have looked like in Victorian days (had such a thing been possible) is dead-on, and the special effects are pretty impressive for 1961. The script, by Richard Matheson, is a little overwrought, but true to Verne's spirit while eliminating the blatant racism of the original stories. This time around though, I found the sweeping, melodramatic score to be a bit overpowering.

In short, not a perfect film or even a great film, but Master of the World remains a well made, entertaining action fantasy. I'm surprised it isn't better remembered by fans of the genre.